Though I may not have spent as much time on the beta as some others, I'd still like to present my thoughts for reflection and discussion. Hear me out.

MCI 3.0 functions perfectly. The interfaces are excellent and the game feels as smooth as ever. None of the kits seem particularly unbalanced, and there are way less bugs present than one would expect from a beta. Don't think that those aspects have gone unnoticed.
But something just doesn't seem right.

I've already started noticing a decline in the beta's playercount, and while that may not be an accurate depiction of interest due to the limited sample audience, it is still a concern for the server's future. As much as I'd like to support helping this server succeed, I just can't seem to play for long periods of time as I once did. I spent a while thinking about what was missing, but I believe the answer is in something I've already written.

Soon after the announcement of 3.0, I wrote a post containing this message:"Unfortunately, I doubt many people that left would return for 3.0 if it was the same as 2.0 but with a few removals and changes. Differently, huge changes that alter the game entirely are what's going to draw people into checking it out, and eventually staying."

I don't mean to seem negative, but I feel this in particular is what's causing previous players to lose interest so quickly. 20 ranks instead of 25 is not really the exciting change people were hoping for. Even the most balanced gamemode cannot be successful if it struggles to draw people in.

Psychology is the other half of game design, alongside balance. But all the features designed to draw people in to the game have been dulled down or removed. The infected ranking system for a lot of kits has become something to watch in the background, and having randomized instead of static rewards from ranking up reduces the natural high a player gets from ranking up. I'm unsure if this feature is in development, but currently those who wanted to attempt unique challenges to unlock new kits in 2.0 are left empty handed.

Essentially, MCI 3.0 is a balanced MCI 2.0, no more, no less. And if people wanted to play more of MCI 2.0, they would have.

With all the proposal sets and hype leading up to the beta, I was expecting the unexpected. I was waiting for a huge game-altering change to be announced, but that day never came. No unique title, no new maps from the builders, and little adjustment of the core gameplay that sequels are known for in this industry.

It's not too late to find an interesting concept that'll make the game unique without taking forever to code, and I highly suggest doing so to keep players interested long past the end of the beta. We can wait.

You could change the survivor rankup system entirely to split into three exciting classes, each with their own prestige perks.
You could revolutionize the scorestreak system to replace certain milestones with random unique items.
You could allow a survivor to pay to designate themself as a "target", and reward the winning team whether they live or die.

None of these are particularly good ideas, but I challenge the staff to brainstorm. Just something, anything, that'll make 3.0 a new installation and not an old one.

All that said, I'm crossing my fingers that the game succeeds on full release and wish you the best of luck.

The playercount is the main thing that didn't really motivate me play, but that was something I already expected when the 3.0 beta released. They really have to change things up to make it more interesting, I cannot agree more with your feedback.